August 27, 2011

The Lighter Side of Hurricanes 1

by Pat Rogers • Artist Profiles, Drawing, East Hampton / Springs, HAMPTONS • Tags: , , ,

DISPATCH – August 27, 2011 (Saturday; 4:12 p.m.)

Hamptons, NY

Christine Lidrbauch didn’t have Hurricane Irene in mind while making her latest drawings. Her whimsical illustrations weren’t inspired by this week’s earthquake, either.

Playful Mother Nature – Hurricane by Christine Lidrbauch

Yet her drawings seem accidentally perfect as we wait for Irene to show her dark or light side to Long Island and New York City.

Librbauch’s series, Playful Mother Nature, presents an unsual take on the way storms come about.

The brief series shows a relaxed Mother Nature blithely causing a tornado, a squall, extreme fog and yes, a hurricane.

The series arose from Librbauch’s frustrations with environmental disasters that originate with human intrusion.

As Hurricane Irene draws near, the series supplies some whimsy to whittle the time. It also provides a unique meander into the ways Mother Nature may multi-task while  demonstrating her might:

Playful Mother Nature – Squall, Whirlpool by Christine Lidrbauch

Playful Mother Nature – Tornado by Christine Lidrbauch

Playful Mother Nature – Fog by Christine Lidrbauch

The Playful Mother Nature series has Mother Nature mirroring the oblivion demonstrated by humans as they damage the planet for their benefit, Lidrbauch said. Negative impacts are justified and business continues while the planet suffers, she said.

“Why should Mother Nature care about us if we don’t care about her?” Lidrbauch asked.

To illustrate, Lidrbauch brought up the 2010 BP oil spill disaster. The underwater spill  erupted after an oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico near the Mississippi River Delta. The accident killed 11 workers and injured others. Oil gushed for around three months impacting aquatic life, habitats and water quality. The rig was engaged in offshore oil drilling.

Despite the serious undertones, Librabach wanted her artwork to be playful. Librabach figured people would linger longer if the drawings weren’t harsh in tone or visuals.

Contented Mother Nature by Christine Lidrbauch

Christine Lidrbauch typically works in series. She enjoys infusing whimsy into her drawings. For instance, her series Expedition depicts fantastical scenes between a woman and a giant male sex organ.  The series was exhibited in the 2005 group show, A Woman’s Point of View, at Ashawagh Hall. It was curated by Kathleen Bifulco.

BASIC FACTS: Christine Lidrbauch has exhibited at P.S. 1 in New York, the Armand Hammer Museum of Art in Los Angeles, CA and galleries in New York. When not drawing, Lidrbauch can be found hanging art shows, restoring sculpture or fabricating sculpture for artists.

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